I actually bought it about a couple of weeks ago, and got to install it to my new M1 Mac mini last Thursday. Looks very attractive to be sure and very functional. I did plug my 10-port USB hub to it though, as I have quite a few items that I wanted to keep outta the way, which left the other free USB-A on the back for the iLok dongle, which I also did not need to see. I have the other Thunderbolt port on it used for my new UA Apollo Twin interface, but if I need more Thunderbolt then I'll cop the hub from OWC in the future. The only slight bit of buyers remorse is that I saw other comparable hubs with SATA enclosure that can be used to put in an SSD, but since my M1 Mac mini is 1TB, I can live with it for now. Another great overview of a good product. I also recently bought Satechi's Aluminum Desktop Stand for my iPad Pro, and it's really versatile for my needs. Thanks again, sir!
Be smart and get yourself an USB-a to USB-c cable and use the USB-a Port on the rear side of the mac mini to connect the hub. It runs perfectly well and it saves you the important USB-c port on the rear side for other devices.
Thanks Mark, I have a 2013 iMac which is still in operation and I toying with the what will I change it out for quandary. I currently use a second monitor. So I thought I’d wait and see what Apple have in store for 2021. I’d more or less ruled out the Mac mini until I watched your videos, thinking do I really need a second monitor but my hobby dictates I need a reasonable array of USB ports. I’m in no hurry but I’m edging towards the mini and buy I decent widescreen monitor. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I really think I'm the only one who doesn't remove their SD card from the camera to remove the files... I just connect a cable from my computer to the camera/cell phone directly. My SD cards never leave their device.
I bought a similar product off Amazon but the one I bought allows you to add an SSD to increase your storage option massively at a low price. There's a couple of companies that make this.
Mark, thanks for making this video on the Satechi Mac mini hub. I purchase this from Amazon the other day and with my new M1 Mac mini I was impressed. I am not new to the Mac as I owned previous Macs but compared to that against a Windows PC, I prefer a Mac.... Dave from Fulton, IL
Unfortunalely it is not possible to place the Satechi hub with the ports on the side (l or R) instead of the front. I would love to have the possibility to do that.
Great review and love the style and feel of your videos 👍🏼. I have the space grey version of the Satechi hub for my mac mini (2018) and find it really useful. I have a 256GB micro SD card plugged in to give me extra storage space and the ports at the front make the mac mini so much easier to use. Apple should create its own stackable modules for the mac mini.
amazin :D i considered this before buying the aukey wired device for my laptop bc of the higher power pass through (when i bought anyways, idk how satechi is now)
I looked at OWC.. But at $229.00 US. Just to get 2 extra Thunderbolt ports. That didn't sound like any bargain...So I got this. The other Mac Mini Thunderbolt port is used for an external NVMe...
A great review Mark. For the price it does an amazing job, though having had thermal issues with one for my Intel Mac mini, I'd be more than happy to give it another try on an M1.
Hi Mark, I have been binging your M1 Mac Mini related videos...as I am on the cusp of such an investment to go from my keyboard nightmare on my 2017 Macbook Pro to a desktop set-up for audio and video editing. I am sooooo appreciative of your insights. Thanks. I did watch your office tour. I am curious if you have any previously published recommendations (youtube or medium) on docking station options so I could access the rather strong capacities of my Macbook pro/ipad air too?
Thanks, Kate - really appreciate you giving me your time! As for the docking station options, I'm afraid not. However, I'd recommend jumping on my Discord server (link in video description), as there are some very helpful people on there who may be able to offer advice ;)
Great review! I bought one myself some time ago and it's ok. I do have one issue with it: The USB-C port on the front doesn't recognize my Samsung T7 portable SSD drive. My older Samsung T5 SSD works fine. Funnily, T7 works on the hub's USB-A ports.
I just received mine today and the one complaint I have is, it should have had a 3.5mm mic port. I mean the Mac Mini already has a headphone jack, why do we need two?
Great vid. Here's an odd question-- can you use this hub without the mac mini? say, plug it in to a regular IMAC Thunderbolt 3/C port? don't see why not but am curious. Anyone know?
I just ordered one of these..As I had no use for the slow NVMe one....I will find another solution for that. As I use WD SN750 drives... And being the Mac Mini was my first Mac..I'm trying to figure out ow to navigate the UI..
@@MarkEllisReviews Perhaps Apple engineers could put a sensor on a key like on the MacBooks. Not to power it up, but just to only do a fingerprint scan. They could have that for any desktop keyboard (iMac or mini) for security until (if and when) Apple decides to implement facial recognition on non-mobile offerings.
I just read some of the reviews on this product and there are a lot of comments regarding the heat buildup in the Mac mini with this hub. What have you experienced regarding that?
Yeah, I read the same (about the heat issues) but hoping that it is not widespread as I would like this hub given its looks (I also dislike cables and those dongly-looking hubs).
Morning Mark, great channel with awesome product reviews, thank you. Mark, I have just purchased a M1 iMac and now have the problem os not a lot of connections for my 4 Lacie USB 3 Hard drives, do you have any recommendations that I could consider as I am now in desperate need of such a hub not least for my camera card (XQD) USB3, any thoughts would be really appreciated, Regards, John
Very informative! Thanks. I was just looking into this similar model but the ssd m.2 addable version and was hoping to ask whether I would be able to connect a USB-c monitor to the front USB-c port?
Good write up. It what do you think about the hubs that include an SSD bay underneath? I’d like to see one of those that includes a USB-C port on the facia, but haven’t found one yet that has both. Thoughts? TIA. -JB
@@jonbbradie how fast do you need your drive to run and perhaps how much do you want to pay for it? The fasted drives are nvme and can go in a usb-C or thunderbolt enclosure some can hit 2800MB. Samsung T7 drive hits around 780 on usb C and around 360 on usb A some nvme drives are very fast heat up and then go slow. its a minefield if its a sata interface then a usb3 sata cable can be had for about 10 dollars and will be around the 360MB speed usually if you can find something on Amazon you should get a few reviews that give you the performance of different drives on it. A thunderbolt 4 nvme enclosure can be pretty expensive but very fast. My main beef with these type of docks is that they look good but don't perform any better than any other 3.0 hub it's kinda like putting a body kit on a 1 litre ford fiesta, it's still a slow car. It's almost fraudulent, misleading for sure when they use the fast usb-c port when the USB A would perform around the same. Realistically you are getting $20 worth of electronics in a $60 box. It's still a dongle just held down by the weight of a Mac Mini What everyone really want is expansion with less mess and sprawling cables everywhere is not a great look. There seems to be little to no commercial imagination when it comes to addressing this. There are some monitor risers which give you a hub making it easy to plugin. but even without a built in hub you can tidy away the cables underneath and save a bundle. A hub can let you have several devices plugged in at once but they are sharing a single connection so you can lose speed when doing simultaneous transfers but often you won't be doing this and even if you do apples given you 4 channels to play with put the two devices on separate channels.
Nice review, have you seen on Amazon UK there is a similar hub which sits on top of the Mac mini with space for SATA 2.5inch SSD, you lose 1 usb c port but gain 2x usb3, 2xusb 2 and sd card reader. The brand is Hagibis £89.99 I have never used it I was just wondering your thoughts? 🤔
@@MarkEllisReviews I would be interested in a comparison video too. Would prefer the Hub with room for a SSD. Concerned about transfer speeds though. And why did they use a SATA connection? One would think M.2 connection would be better (faster?).
In watching other reviews on this same style of hub one reviewer ( ua-cam.com/video/o6ooXCIEqSk/v-deo.html ) states that the transfer speed of the hub is limited to 5 gbps. I think a lot of people ( including me ) were assuming the transfer speeds were running at Thunderbolt 20 gbps because of the type - C connector. Nope. So the hub can actually be connected to a "type - A" on the Mac Mini without any performance penalty, in addition to leaving both Thunderbolt connections available.
Thank you, Ed! I genuinely don't know the answer to that, mate as I haven't tried any of them on an M1 Mac and wouldn't want to give you poor advice. However, I might be looking into this stuff in the future, so stay tuned (if you can wait!).
@@MarkEllisReviews I'm chomping at the bit to be honest. Is the satechi decent? I use native instruments stuff. Machine etc. I just want everything to work nice. I'm a bit of a novice with it all. Cheers
Thanks Mark. Just wondering if (excuse me if wrong terms used) if there is a single or multiple channels inside this unit. Is the unit basically a USB hub, with 6 ports. 2 x sd, 3 x USB-a and 1 x USB-c. If so, does it mean the whole unit is limited to 5 Gb/s max throughput or does it pack more punch. Possibly some more tests for you. If it is limited to USB 3 speeds, as a unit, you could get an adapter and plug it into one of your USB 3 ports freeing up the USB/thunderbolt port for something that can use the faster speeds. If it does spread the 40 Gb/s speeds over the various ports giving them all full speed at the same time it would be brilliant. Waiting for my M1 but looking at accessories. Thanks again.
I genuinely don't know the answer to that, Laurence - needs lots of testing, which is a little bit beyond me at this stage, I'm afraid. I think it does limit everything to 5GB/s, though. It's pretty quick, transfer-wise, but nothing like what you get from the back of the Mac mini.
No... It will run at 40gb rated speed off the port. But it will get saturated. It you run heavy loads across all of the ports at once...Something that not many people would do. As the fastest thing they would run. Is an External NVMe. But that would be off the last Thunder bolt port on the Mac Mini. As they are each rated at 40gb...there not bridged...
Does this affect wifi or BT? On another channel they mentioned that this one may in the comments but they were reviewing a different hub, I like the design of this one a lot more because the mini drops into it plus they have an updated model with type c upfront and an M.2 SATA SSD slot on the bottom.
It’s essentially a usb 3.0 hub it performs like a usb3.0 hub but it’s taking a thunderbolt port and running 8x slower so what’s the point? You are better off plugging this into a usb a port for the same performance. You are essentially paying 80 dollar s for a 20 dollar hub that performs as a 20 dollar hub. Buy a real thunderbolt dock if you want performance if you are happy with usb3.0 speeds there are lots of options that work with most devices.
@@MarkEllisReviews Mark I have an idea for your next video, you just need a usb3 to usb-c adapter or cable. Plug the Satechi USB-C Hub into a USB A port via this adapter and see if it a)works and b) performs any worse than being plugged into one of the thunderbolt ports. It's kind of disappointing that most third party peripherals are so poorly "designed" and i use that word loosely because so little thought goes into them. Without going on too long the only easy access you need for the mini once you expand the ports is for the power button (turn it sideways and its front right). I could tell you how i manage the cable sprawl but a hint is add a shelf for the mini to sit under and all the cables can hide under there. But please try your hub plugged into an A port and see how it performs.
@@blackestknights Thanks - I'll give that some thought. But, for me, to be completely honest, this Satechi unit performs perfectly as it is. As noted in the video, the SD card reader is as fast as I need it to be, and the other ports are simply used for ad-hoc charging and, very, very occasionally, attaching an external hard drive. For that use case, it's a steal at the price, given the build quality.
@@MarkEllisReviews lets say you have a samsung t7 drive and a second monitor the monitor uses one usb-c port so where are you going to plugin the t7 drive if the Satachi hub is using the other USB-C port I can tell you that on usb A speeds that T7 drive read writes at around 360 Mbyte a sec on the usb-c port its about 780Mb/sec. If you can plug the Satachi hub into usb A you get your USB-C port back and file transfers are twice as fast with your now available USB-C port.
@@blackestknights Yeah, I can see how that makes sense. Although, I'd argue that if you have to start modifying how the Satechi connects to the Mac, it really isn't for you. As I noted in this review, it really isn't a product for people who want USB-C expandability ;)
These devices all take up a Thunderbolt port and give you a USB 3 port, NOT Thunderbolt. I wish people would stop assuming just because it’s USB-C that the speed is equivalent. USB-C is a port standard, not a transmission protocol.
@@MarkEllisReviews You should qualify that then. You only reference USB-C but make no mention of the loss of available throughput. USB-C type 3 (not even 3.1) is not equal to TBolt and precisely why I passed on this and similar solutions.
@@IanEisenberg That's cool, Ian. I'm just not convinced my audience is that bothered (I'm not either, to be honest). If more people raise this point, then I'll consider diving deeper into this stuff in future, but it's not really what my channel is about. Appreciate the input, though ;)
I am looking for a hub for my MBA with HDMI and passthrough charging so I only need to attach one cable instead of two (leaving none free) when I want to use my external monitor. I'd like to be able to hide it behind/under the table though and it seems almost all of the ones I could find except for a few quite expensive ones had one very short, fixed cable which means that I would have to put the hub on top of the table with all the attached cables showing. If anyone knows of a reasonably priced hub with a detachable or long cable that also supports passthrough charging I'm all ears!
@Mark Ellis Reviews, can I ask you somethin out of topic. For the Sony wh-1000xm4, do you it is worth it for student usage. What's your point of view? I know it is a great headphone, but like really if you're a student, what makes the purchase justifiable. (I really want one, just I don't want to feel regret once I bought it).
If you're after a very good pair of headphones for music and noise cancelling, buy them. If calling is a massive thing for you, they may cause issues as some have noted (issues with people on the other end hearing you). But as a pair of headphones for music they cannot be beat.
@@MarkEllisReviews I see, fully noted about the calling feature issue. Thank you for your point of view. Haha ngl tbh I didn't really expect you to answer. It's great that you read the comment section and respond to it. Thanks!
Makes my M1 mini run very warm, even if I do not have anything plugged into the Satechi. M1 mini runs cold without it plugged in, no matter how long it's been on. Why is the Satechi eating power when there is nothing plugged into it. Definitely do not purchase - clearly a bad product in my experience.
Why on earth do we want this hub that demands we have a bunch of cables running around our desktop? Wish I heard this video before I bought this asinine thing.
Just wait for apps & AAA games supports M chips!! I'm grateful to God to live & see this chip exist! This Apple M chips moments is actually as the moment as first iPhone released! I had once MBP & I hated Apple products because of the price, heat, fan noises & slowness every OS update & capability issues. I didn't know in those times it was intel fault! But know I'm pretty sure not only me going to change to MacBook later this year when MBP reveals the beast inside, it's everyone & the industry of PC if no one cach the ARM PC version race! Let's talk about ports! Tje charging port need to get back to benefit from the usb c ports. from now & on should be usb c thunderbolt & it should have been before. Old ports should be stopped. I only agree with doubling the ports of usb c thunderbolt. This port is so amazing that you can only by plugging external monitor that supports usb c thunderbolt you can plug to the monitor the mouse, K/B & headset to the external monitor!! The only thing upsetting about it in current laptops that depends only on it is, it doesn't come with 4 ports!!
I wish you guys would stop calling thunderbolt ports USB ports Unless you want to call them USB 4 since there is a vast performance difference in cables.
@@MarkEllisReviews No they are Usb compatible. Read the specs for yourself. The new specification for USB 4 will be even more compatible but cables are another issue. If you buy thunderbolt 4 cables they will work with any combination of USB C or 3 or 4. You can plug a USB c drive into tunderbold with a usb c cable and get USB 2 performance. Unfortunately Apple only includes USB 3 on their USB A ports. I use a n adapter to make USB C into A plug and get lest speed from the USB C ssd than I would an external HD. Thunderbolt is daisy chainable USB is not. There was a steep license fee for Thunderbolt but now there isn't, but must meet USB 4 standard.
@@MarkEllisReviews No they are USB compatible. Big difference. Thunderbolt can do is 8 times faster than USB 3 and most USB C drives only work at USB 3 speed. The Mac ini includes two USB A ports but they only operate at the slower USB rate and most USB C devices plugged into the Thunderbolt ports will be very slow. OWC advertizes a true ThunderBolt hub but they are out of stock until May. If you want real speed through Apples ThunderBolt ports then buy a ThunderBolt case for an NVME drive and compare that with your USB C drives. OWC does advertise a ThunderBolt 4 cable that will work with any USB C device regardless of generation. Those cables are not cheap because they contain micro processors and all Future USB 4 cables will have to have them too.
@@poorfesor You see, personally, mate, this stuff bores me to tears. But I totally understand why some find it interesting. To most consumers, they're just little holes into which they plug their stuff, and they'd like more of them.
Since i use 3 monitors for what i do, and mac m1 not allowing more then 2 ive had to use the dell d3100 docking station and it has many ports at the same time definitely a better device if you need to use more screens i guess
Great demo, I just ordered the model with the nvme extra storage ability.👍🏻👍🏻
Enjoy!
I actually bought it about a couple of weeks ago, and got to install it to my new M1 Mac mini last Thursday. Looks very attractive to be sure and very functional. I did plug my 10-port USB hub to it though, as I have quite a few items that I wanted to keep outta the way, which left the other free USB-A on the back for the iLok dongle, which I also did not need to see. I have the other Thunderbolt port on it used for my new UA Apollo Twin interface, but if I need more Thunderbolt then I'll cop the hub from OWC in the future. The only slight bit of buyers remorse is that I saw other comparable hubs with SATA enclosure that can be used to put in an SSD, but since my M1 Mac mini is 1TB, I can live with it for now. Another great overview of a good product. I also recently bought Satechi's Aluminum Desktop Stand for my iPad Pro, and it's really versatile for my needs. Thanks again, sir!
Thank you!
I’m a recent subscriber and I have to say that your videos and assessments are well made and well delivered. Kudos.
Thank you so much 🙏
Be smart and get yourself an USB-a to USB-c cable and use the USB-a Port on the rear side of the mac mini to connect the hub. It runs perfectly well and it saves you the important USB-c port on the rear side for other devices.
I was thinking the same! To not lose a 40gbps usb-c port! Which usb-a to usb-c adapter are you using in your case?
You should try the AGPTEK USB-C Docking Station & Stand for Mac Mini that includes a plug in for an external harddrive
Hmm, funny you should say that...
Thanks Mark, I have a 2013 iMac which is still in operation and I toying with the what will I change it out for quandary. I currently use a second monitor. So I thought I’d wait and see what Apple have in store for 2021. I’d more or less ruled out the Mac mini until I watched your videos, thinking do I really need a second monitor but my hobby dictates I need a reasonable array of USB ports. I’m in no hurry but I’m edging towards the mini and buy I decent widescreen monitor. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Sounds like a plan!
I really think I'm the only one who doesn't remove their SD card from the camera to remove the files... I just connect a cable from my computer to the camera/cell phone directly. My SD cards never leave their device.
I bought a similar product off Amazon but the one I bought allows you to add an SSD to increase your storage option massively at a low price. There's a couple of companies that make this.
Funny you should say that...
Mark, thanks for making this video on the Satechi Mac mini hub. I purchase this from Amazon the other day and with my new M1 Mac mini I was impressed. I am not new to the Mac as I owned previous Macs but compared to that against a Windows PC, I prefer a Mac.... Dave from Fulton, IL
Brilliant review mate another product I like thanks 😎
Thanks, Neil!
I use this device with my new M1 Mac Mini and it works perfectly. Thanks for the vídeo.
Awesome!
Unfortunalely it is not possible to place the Satechi hub with the ports on the side (l or R) instead of the front. I would love to have the possibility to do that.
I have a 2018 intel i5 model. And I started noticing that it has got much more hot while on top of this hub. And that worries me.
Great review and love the style and feel of your videos 👍🏼. I have the space grey version of the Satechi hub for my mac mini (2018) and find it really useful. I have a 256GB micro SD card plugged in to give me extra storage space and the ports at the front make the mac mini so much easier to use. Apple should create its own stackable modules for the mac mini.
Thanks, Phil. And I agree!
This unit drags my internet speed right down! I’ve tried a longer lead and moving it but still hinders my Wi-Fi.
amazin :D i considered this before buying the aukey wired device for my laptop bc of the higher power pass through (when i bought anyways, idk how satechi is now)
I purchased this exact hub when I bought my M1 back in December… I love it. I wish it had two type C’s but other than that it’s works out perfectly
Any problems with wifi performance?
I looked at OWC.. But at $229.00 US. Just to get 2 extra Thunderbolt ports. That didn't sound like any bargain...So I got this. The other Mac Mini Thunderbolt port is used for an external NVMe...
A great review Mark. For the price it does an amazing job, though having had thermal issues with one for my Intel Mac mini, I'd be more than happy to give it another try on an M1.
Thanks, Dean.
Hi Mark, I have been binging your M1 Mac Mini related videos...as I am on the cusp of such an investment to go from my keyboard nightmare on my 2017 Macbook Pro to a desktop set-up for audio and video editing. I am sooooo appreciative of your insights. Thanks. I did watch your office tour. I am curious if you have any previously published recommendations (youtube or medium) on docking station options so I could access the rather strong capacities of my Macbook pro/ipad air too?
Thanks, Kate - really appreciate you giving me your time! As for the docking station options, I'm afraid not. However, I'd recommend jumping on my Discord server (link in video description), as there are some very helpful people on there who may be able to offer advice ;)
Another fine review! 👍🏽
Thank you!
Mac Mini gets warm(er) on the outside (as opposed being full cool to the touch) when using this hub.
WoW 🤩 i love satechi
Great review! I bought one myself some time ago and it's ok. I do have one issue with it: The USB-C port on the front doesn't recognize my Samsung T7 portable SSD drive. My older Samsung T5 SSD works fine. Funnily, T7 works on the hub's USB-A ports.
Great content. Question: what about WI-FI interference with this hub?
Cheers, Jeff! And as for WiFi interference... there's none!
I just received mine today and the one complaint I have is, it should have had a 3.5mm mic port. I mean the
Mac Mini already has a headphone jack, why do we need two?
Great vid. Here's an odd question-- can you use this hub without the mac mini? say, plug it in to a regular IMAC Thunderbolt 3/C port? don't see why not but am curious. Anyone know?
Awesome review Mark! Does it affect bluetooth connections in any way?
Cool t-shirt
Thanks!
Hey Mark. I tried to take a look but couldn’t seem to find one. Have you got a video on a recommended usb c hub for the MacBook M1?
Not at the moment, but I will be looking into it.
Just got a Mac mini and I was looking at this kind of hub but none has at least 1 or 2 USB-A port on the back
I can't seem to find the silver version, only space grey. Do you have a link to the one you bought?
I BOUGHT IT FROM SATECHI SITE.
I just ordered one of these..As I had no use for the slow NVMe one....I will find another solution for that. As I use WD SN750 drives...
And being the Mac Mini was my first Mac..I'm trying to figure out ow to navigate the UI..
M1 Mini is cool but wish it had touch ID somehow. I use that a lot.
Interesting. Not sure how they'd integrate it without it being a hassle for people who don't have the mini close by?
@@MarkEllisReviews Perhaps Apple engineers could put a sensor on a key like on the MacBooks. Not to power it up, but just to only do a fingerprint scan. They could have that for any desktop keyboard (iMac or mini) for security until (if and when) Apple decides to implement facial recognition on non-mobile offerings.
I just read some of the reviews on this product and there are a lot of comments regarding the heat buildup in the Mac mini with this hub. What have you experienced regarding that?
I’ve not experienced any issues in that regard at all.
Yeah, I read the same (about the heat issues) but hoping that it is not widespread as I would like this hub given its looks (I also dislike cables and those dongly-looking hubs).
Does it work with the new 2023 M2 Pro Mac mini? I really like this thing!
Instant sub on your channel!!!!
Instant like of your comment!
Morning Mark, great channel with awesome product reviews, thank you. Mark, I have just purchased a M1 iMac and now have the problem os not a lot of connections for my 4 Lacie USB 3 Hard drives, do you have any recommendations that I could consider as I am now in desperate need of such a hub not least for my camera card (XQD) USB3, any thoughts would be really appreciated, Regards, John
Thanks, John! Take a look at the Pluggable hub mentioned in this video. It’s not cheap, but it’s brilliant: ua-cam.com/video/foBBatXYRzg/v-deo.html
Mark, many thanks forefeet for my needsr the attached link, I will take a closer look and see if its perfect for my needs, Regards, John
Very informative! Thanks. I was just looking into this similar model but the ssd m.2 addable version and was hoping to ask whether I would be able to connect a USB-c monitor to the front USB-c port?
Haven't tried that, I'm afraid!
Why has no one mentioned just turning the mac mini around?
Argh, the thought makes me get all itchy. ;)
Have you got two monitors connected? If so how did you connect them? Thanks
Nope, just one, via HMDI.
Good write up. It what do you think about the hubs that include an SSD bay underneath? I’d like to see one of those that includes a USB-C port on the facia, but haven’t found one yet that has both. Thoughts? TIA. -JB
Thanks, Jon. I think the idea of an SSD bay underneath is superb. Yet to look into it, but will do!
it's not a real usb C port if its only running at usb3.0 speeds
@@blackestknights So better off just going for the one with the SSD bay?
@@jonbbradie how fast do you need your drive to run and perhaps how much do you want to pay for it? The fasted drives are nvme and can go in a usb-C or thunderbolt enclosure some can hit 2800MB. Samsung T7 drive hits around 780 on usb C and around 360 on usb A some nvme drives are very fast heat up and then go slow. its a minefield if its a sata interface then a usb3 sata cable can be had for about 10 dollars and will be around the 360MB speed usually if you can find something on Amazon you should get a few reviews that give you the performance of different drives on it. A thunderbolt 4 nvme enclosure can be pretty expensive but very fast.
My main beef with these type of docks is that they look good but don't perform any better than any other 3.0 hub it's kinda like putting a body kit on a 1 litre ford fiesta, it's still a slow car. It's almost fraudulent, misleading for sure when they use the fast usb-c port when the USB A would perform around the same. Realistically you are getting $20 worth of electronics in a $60 box. It's still a dongle just held down by the weight of a Mac Mini
What everyone really want is expansion with less mess and sprawling cables everywhere is not a great look. There seems to be little to no commercial imagination when it comes to addressing this. There are some monitor risers which give you a hub making it easy to plugin. but even without a built in hub you can tidy away the cables underneath and save a bundle. A hub can let you have several devices plugged in at once but they are sharing a single connection so you can lose speed when doing simultaneous transfers but often you won't be doing this and even if you do apples given you 4 channels to play with put the two devices on separate channels.
@@blackestknights Thx!
Nice review, have you seen on Amazon UK there is a similar hub which sits on top of the Mac mini with space for SATA 2.5inch SSD, you lose 1 usb c port but gain 2x usb3, 2xusb 2 and sd card reader. The brand is Hagibis £89.99 I have never used it I was just wondering your thoughts? 🤔
Interesting - I'll take a look!
@@MarkEllisReviews I would be interested in a comparison video too. Would prefer the Hub with room for a SSD. Concerned about transfer speeds though. And why did they use a SATA connection? One would think M.2 connection would be better (faster?).
In watching other reviews on this same style of hub one reviewer ( ua-cam.com/video/o6ooXCIEqSk/v-deo.html ) states that the transfer speed of the hub is limited to 5 gbps. I think a lot of people ( including me ) were assuming the transfer speeds were running at Thunderbolt 20 gbps because of the type - C connector. Nope. So the hub can actually be connected to a "type - A" on the Mac Mini without any performance penalty, in addition to leaving both Thunderbolt connections available.
Does the micro sd go in upside down too?
High Mark. Love your videos dude.
Will this run my native instruments gear.?
Maschine, komplete kontrol s49 and komplete audio 6?
Thank you, Ed! I genuinely don't know the answer to that, mate as I haven't tried any of them on an M1 Mac and wouldn't want to give you poor advice. However, I might be looking into this stuff in the future, so stay tuned (if you can wait!).
@@MarkEllisReviews thanks Mark.
@@MarkEllisReviews I'm chomping at the bit to be honest.
Is the satechi decent?
I use native instruments stuff. Machine etc.
I just want everything to work nice.
I'm a bit of a novice with it all.
Cheers
@@edglue6138 It's a great hub, but I do have an alternative on the way which I'm going to compare it against, so stay tuned.
@@MarkEllisReviews Ooooo you tease haha
Thanks Mark. Just wondering if (excuse me if wrong terms used) if there is a single or multiple channels inside this unit. Is the unit basically a USB hub, with 6 ports. 2 x sd, 3 x USB-a and 1 x USB-c. If so, does it mean the whole unit is limited to 5 Gb/s max throughput or does it pack more punch. Possibly some more tests for you. If it is limited to USB 3 speeds, as a unit, you could get an adapter and plug it into one of your USB 3 ports freeing up the USB/thunderbolt port for something that can use the faster speeds. If it does spread the 40 Gb/s speeds over the various ports giving them all full speed at the same time it would be brilliant. Waiting for my M1 but looking at accessories. Thanks again.
I genuinely don't know the answer to that, Laurence - needs lots of testing, which is a little bit beyond me at this stage, I'm afraid. I think it does limit everything to 5GB/s, though. It's pretty quick, transfer-wise, but nothing like what you get from the back of the Mac mini.
No... It will run at 40gb rated speed off the port. But it will get saturated. It you run heavy loads across all of the ports at once...Something that not many people would do. As the fastest thing they would run. Is an External NVMe. But that would be off the last Thunder bolt port on the Mac Mini. As they are each rated at 40gb...there not bridged...
Does this affect wifi or BT? On another channel they mentioned that this one may in the comments but they were reviewing a different hub, I like the design of this one a lot more because the mini drops into it plus they have an updated model with type c upfront and an M.2 SATA SSD slot on the bottom.
It’s essentially a usb 3.0 hub it performs like a usb3.0 hub but it’s taking a thunderbolt port and running 8x slower so what’s the point? You are better off plugging this into a usb a port for the same performance. You are essentially paying 80 dollar s for a 20 dollar hub that performs as a 20 dollar hub. Buy a real thunderbolt dock if you want performance if you are happy with usb3.0 speeds there are lots of options that work with most devices.
You’re right - it’s not for everyone. I like it, though.
@@MarkEllisReviews Mark I have an idea for your next video, you just need a usb3 to usb-c adapter or cable. Plug the Satechi USB-C Hub into a USB A port via this adapter and see if it a)works and b) performs any worse than being plugged into one of the thunderbolt ports.
It's kind of disappointing that most third party peripherals are so poorly "designed" and i use that word loosely because so little thought goes into them. Without going on too long the only easy access you need for the mini once you expand the ports is for the power button (turn it sideways and its front right). I could tell you how i manage the cable sprawl but a hint is add a shelf for the mini to sit under and all the cables can hide under there.
But please try your hub plugged into an A port and see how it performs.
@@blackestknights Thanks - I'll give that some thought. But, for me, to be completely honest, this Satechi unit performs perfectly as it is. As noted in the video, the SD card reader is as fast as I need it to be, and the other ports are simply used for ad-hoc charging and, very, very occasionally, attaching an external hard drive. For that use case, it's a steal at the price, given the build quality.
@@MarkEllisReviews lets say you have a samsung t7 drive and a second monitor the monitor uses one usb-c port so where are you going to plugin the t7 drive if the Satachi hub is using the other USB-C port I can tell you that on usb A speeds that T7 drive read writes at around 360 Mbyte a sec on the usb-c port its about 780Mb/sec. If you can plug the Satachi hub into usb A you get your USB-C port back and file transfers are twice as fast with your now available USB-C port.
@@blackestknights Yeah, I can see how that makes sense. Although, I'd argue that if you have to start modifying how the Satechi connects to the Mac, it really isn't for you. As I noted in this review, it really isn't a product for people who want USB-C expandability ;)
Nice, I want one, cant find one. =(
I have an alternative winging its way to me - stay tuned.
Does it burn out the M1 Mac-Mini USB-C port if you have all of the Satechi ports in use and then does the M1 Mac-Mini run hot?
These devices all take up a Thunderbolt port and give you a USB 3 port, NOT Thunderbolt.
I wish people would stop assuming just because it’s USB-C that the speed is equivalent. USB-C is a port standard, not a transmission protocol.
I don’t think anyone is assuming that, are they, Ian? I’m certainly not.
@@MarkEllisReviews You should qualify that then. You only reference USB-C but make no mention of the loss of available throughput. USB-C type 3 (not even 3.1) is not equal to TBolt and precisely why I passed on this and similar solutions.
@@IanEisenberg That's cool, Ian. I'm just not convinced my audience is that bothered (I'm not either, to be honest). If more people raise this point, then I'll consider diving deeper into this stuff in future, but it's not really what my channel is about. Appreciate the input, though ;)
If I get the doc with a SSD inside do I need to buy the 512GB mac mini or should I take the basic model? Thanks
I am looking for a hub for my MBA with HDMI and passthrough charging so I only need to attach one cable instead of two (leaving none free) when I want to use my external monitor. I'd like to be able to hide it behind/under the table though and it seems almost all of the ones I could find except for a few quite expensive ones had one very short, fixed cable which means that I would have to put the hub on top of the table with all the attached cables showing. If anyone knows of a reasonably priced hub with a detachable or long cable that also supports passthrough charging I'm all ears!
@Mark Ellis Reviews, can I ask you somethin out of topic. For the Sony wh-1000xm4, do you it is worth it for student usage. What's your point of view? I know it is a great headphone, but like really if you're a student, what makes the purchase justifiable. (I really want one, just I don't want to feel regret once I bought it).
If you're after a very good pair of headphones for music and noise cancelling, buy them. If calling is a massive thing for you, they may cause issues as some have noted (issues with people on the other end hearing you). But as a pair of headphones for music they cannot be beat.
@@MarkEllisReviews I see, fully noted about the calling feature issue. Thank you for your point of view. Haha ngl tbh I didn't really expect you to answer. It's great that you read the comment section and respond to it. Thanks!
@@moshans8906 No problem, Mo. I'm not sure how you can build a UA-cam channel without audience interaction, tbh 😉
@@MarkEllisReviews Indeed you are right mate.
Makes my M1 mini run very warm, even if I do not have anything plugged into the Satechi. M1 mini runs cold without it plugged in, no matter how long it's been on. Why is the Satechi eating power when there is nothing plugged into it. Definitely do not purchase - clearly a bad product in my experience.
Makes the studio look even uglier, if that’s possible 😂. Nice bit of kit
More importantly, what keyboard is that? Hella sexy!
Check out my latest video 😉
I SPENT ALMOST 200 EUROS TO GET IT IN GREECE. :(
Why on earth do we want this hub that demands we have a bunch of cables running around our desktop? Wish I heard this video before I bought this asinine thing.
Just wait for apps & AAA games supports M chips!!
I'm grateful to God to live & see this chip exist! This Apple M chips moments is actually as the moment as first iPhone released!
I had once MBP & I hated Apple products because of the price, heat, fan noises & slowness every OS update & capability issues. I didn't know in those times it was intel fault!
But know I'm pretty sure not only me going to change to MacBook later this year when MBP reveals the beast inside, it's everyone & the industry of PC if no one cach the ARM PC version race!
Let's talk about ports! Tje charging port need to get back to benefit from the usb c ports. from now & on should be usb c thunderbolt & it should have been before. Old ports should be stopped. I only agree with doubling the ports of usb c thunderbolt. This port is so amazing that you can only by plugging external monitor that supports usb c thunderbolt you can plug to the monitor the mouse, K/B & headset to the external monitor!! The only thing upsetting about it in current laptops that depends only on it is, it doesn't come with 4 ports!!
❇️⚡️☆⚡️❇️
Nice...I like what you do. :) @reneritchie
Thanks, Rich!
I wish you guys would stop calling thunderbolt ports USB ports Unless you want to call them USB 4 since there is a vast performance difference in cables.
So, they _are_ USB ports? 🤔
@@MarkEllisReviews No they are Usb compatible. Read the specs for yourself. The new specification for USB 4 will be even more compatible but cables are another issue. If you buy thunderbolt 4 cables they will work with any combination of USB C or 3 or 4. You can plug a USB c drive into tunderbold with a usb c cable and get USB 2 performance. Unfortunately Apple only includes USB 3 on their USB A ports. I use a n adapter to make USB C into A plug and get lest speed from the USB C ssd than I would an external HD. Thunderbolt is daisy chainable USB is not. There was a steep license fee for Thunderbolt but now there isn't, but must meet USB 4 standard.
@@MarkEllisReviews No they are USB compatible. Big difference. Thunderbolt can do is 8 times faster than USB 3 and most USB C drives only work at USB 3 speed. The Mac ini includes two USB A ports but they only operate at the slower USB rate and most USB C devices plugged into the Thunderbolt ports will be very slow. OWC advertizes a true ThunderBolt hub but they are out of stock until May. If you want real speed through Apples ThunderBolt ports then buy a ThunderBolt case for an NVME drive and compare that with your USB C drives. OWC does advertise a ThunderBolt 4 cable that will work with any USB C device regardless of generation. Those cables are not cheap because they contain micro processors and all Future USB 4 cables will have to have them too.
@@poorfesor You see, personally, mate, this stuff bores me to tears. But I totally understand why some find it interesting. To most consumers, they're just little holes into which they plug their stuff, and they'd like more of them.
@@MarkEllisReviews Most consumers will never plug anything in to them, but when they do they should know the difference.
Early gang 🤷♂️😂
Boooooom.
10 min to say the same thing ... to much. :-(
Well, I appreciate you watching, regardless.
Since i use 3 monitors for what i do, and mac m1 not allowing more then 2 ive had to use the dell d3100 docking station and it has many ports at the same time definitely a better device if you need to use more screens i guess